Monday, October 31, 2011

Two-party system will defeat BN, says Mustafa Ali

Harakah Daily reported the PAS secretary-general as saying the two-party system would be achievable in five to 10 years, but was difficult now due to hesitation from some party members. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 – Datuk Mustafa Ali believes a two-party system is the answer to end powerful Barisan Nasional’s (BN) 54-year rule and has called on PAS colleagues to work towards that particular goal in the coming national polls.

Harakah Daily reported the PAS secretary-general as saying the two-party system would be achievable in five to 10 years, but was difficult now due to hesitation from some party members who question if they are compromising the party’s ultimate plan to make Malaysia an Islamic state.

The Islamist party had teamed up with the secular DAP and the reformist PKR to form a political alliance after beating the ruling coalition in the landmark 2008 elections to take five states.

“A two-party system is important to PAS and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) because it will ease joint efforts to defeat BN in the elections,” the political party’s paper cited Mustafa as saying yesterday.

“Only with a two-party system can PAS, PKR and DAP in Pakatan Rakyat stand under one symbol as is done by BN component parties during elections,” he added to persuade party members of the benefits of working together with its two partners who have their different political goals.

He noted the Opposition parties managed to deny the BN its two-thirds hold to grab 84 out of 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat in the last polls, and wrest Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor while maintaining Kelantan.

Mustafa said PAS members must accept that cooperation among the three PR parties is the only way forward for the Opposition to take over Putrajaya.

He said political cooperation, which he called the concept of “tahaluf siyasi” was a significantly different political approach from its policy championing an Islamic state.

That, Mustafa said, was what confused PAS members. He said the party’s information machinery has been ordered to disseminate this information so grassroots members gain a better understanding of the push for political cooperation with its allies who do not necessarily share their religious compulsion.